Casting apparatus.



E. (LWASHBURN.

; CASTING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED MMLZI, 1912.

Patented July 25, 1916.

' then be The metal, designated as 6, is then poured.

concentric with the ring 3. The member 4 is adapted to provide a continuous close-ad air space which serves as an insulating medium, acting in this capacity in conjunc: .tion with the sand ring 3 which also consti tutesan insulating medium. member 3 is preferably provided on its inner periphery with a facing of carbonaceous material, preferably graphite, '5. 1

It will be noted that the sand ring 3- is preferably shaped to contact with the inner 1, bein positioned therein so that the up- I per or neck portion ofthe metal will'be surrounded by and contact with the ring '3.

into the mold until the upper portion thereof is a little below the upper surface of the ring 3. The pouring is then discontinued. With steel and like casting, the upper surface of the molten material is then preferably covered or sprinkled with carbonaceous material 7. The steel or. other material used should be preferably in a quiet state when cast, and to accomplish this in the case of steel, silicon or similar material may be added thereto. The use of a quiet steel insures the retention of the carbonaceous material in proper position with respect to the metal. The carbonaceous materials 5 and 7 burn when brought in contact with the metal, andthus provide hot insulating coverings for the metal. The metal is then allowed to cool. During the course of the cooling, the impurities, including slag, silicon, phosphorus and sulfur will tend to segregate in that portion of the chamber. which is hottest and there will also be a tendency for the metal to cool'more quickly in thejouter parts thereof than in,

the inner. As a consequence, the portions of the metal below the heat insulating device will tend to cool more rapidly than the neck portion of the material which is contained within the space inclosed by the annular members 3 and ei, due to the fact that the sand acts as an insulation, as does also the air within the hollow chamber in the member 4: and prevents the heat from radiating from that part of the metal. By thus keeping this portion heated to a higher temperaturc-than the outer portions, the impurities will tend to segregate there. The contraction of metal in the cooler portions will cause a flow of metal from the neck portion d wnward through the center of the mold,

The annular and the molten material in the neck portion I will gradually and uniformly sink doivn Ward until the whole inner portion of the ingot has undergone a contraction accordance w1th the final temperature reached.

Thus the resultant product instead of showingpipes and segregations will have only a small cupped neck portion in which most of the impurities will have segregated and which may be broken off with very little loss of metal.

In actual practice ingots have been ob-' tained in which the proportion of metal forming'the cup and including the impurities was about two per cent. of the ingot. In

these ingots there was substantially no pip-' ing.

It will be seen, in accordance with the construction outlined, that by providing a removable refractory heat insulating ring a convenient device is provided for use in connection' witha numberof chambers, for as soon as one or the ingots, for example, in a given chamber, has cooled partially, the

ring may be withdrawn therefrom and made ready for further casting.- It is to be noted in this connection that by providing the chamber 1 with tapering inner walls, means is thereby provided for securely supporting tbe'refractory insulating member. It is to" be understood that the insulating ring may occupy any convenient position in the mold, that is, it may be placed in such position that a casting, occupying only half the chamber or any other proportion thereof, is formed.

It is to be further noted that the annular ring serves as a guide forthe metal which is being poured into the moldin chamber and directs the stream so that it is substantially prevented from contacting with the 1 Walls of the chamber, thus precluding the formation of flakes of metal on the sides of the chamber by sudden cooling, through contact of the stream of metal therewith. This flake formation on the sides of the wall, if the metal be not. directed away therefrom, will accumulate upon, the outer surface of the finished ingot. This accumulatiomhowever, 1s prevented, as noted, by guiding the stream by means of the insulating member.

It will also be noted in accordance with the construction outlined that the heat contained in the metal below the annular refractory member will tend to pass ofl through thismemberand will thereby impart a certain proportion of heat thereto.

By thus heating the annular refractory member the rate of transference of heat to the metal held within the space incloged thereby will be materially lessened and 'thus the efficiency of the insulating device will be increased.

It is pointed out that the mold 1 is placed with its larger diameter at the top, thereby adapted to lib providingn slower cooling in the upper portion andacting thus in conjunction with the insulating device to keep the upper portion of the metal hot.

Although it has been convenient to describe this process in connection with the melding of ingots, it is to be understood that it is equally applicable to.the various processes of casting.

It is also intended to be understood that the term casting used herein is intended in its broad sense as indicating the treatment of molten material by means of suitable devices, to give it a desired shape.

'lhe device described is a very efiicient one, is simple and practical and may be used on almost any kind of mold. It is easily handled and may be replaced without difiiculty and at small expense. It will thus be seen that the device fulfils, among others, the objects enumerated in a highly practical manner.

As many changes could be made in carrying out the above method, and in the above construction, and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing fromthe scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a linliting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language used in the following claims is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

Having described my invention, what- I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A molding device comprising an upright tubular chamber and an annular refractory member adapted to surround heated material held in said chamber, said anmetallic ringhaving air therein.

2, A molding device comprising an upright tubular chamber provided with tapered walls, an annular refractory member the inner periphery of said chamber, said annular refractory member comprising an inner hollow metallic ring having our therebe supported by said walls on in, and an outer sand ring inclosing said metallic ring.

3. In an apparatus of the kind described, in combination, a chamber adapted to receive a carbonaceous coating and carbona- 4. A heatinsulating device comprising er plurality of annular members, one of said members including refractory material andanother of said members provided with an inclosed hollow chamber. a

5. A heat-insulating device comprising an annular refractory member incasing a metallic ring providing an air space therewithin.

6. A heat-insulating device comprismgan annular refractory member comprlsing an inner hollow metallic ring, providing a continuous air-space and an outer sand ring inclosing said metallic ring.

7 1K device of the nature disclosed comprising a molding chamber and a removable heat insulating device resting there0n, said heat insulating device comprising an inner portion serving as a form and providing an air space therewithin, and refractory material molded about said form.

8. A devive of the nature prising sulating device, said heat insulating device comprising an inner annular metallic member provided with a closed air space there within. and sand molded about said annular member. I

9. A device of the nature disclosed comdisclosed comprising; a molding chamber and a removable heat insulating member rest ng on the interior periphery below the upper edge thereof,

said heat insulating member comprisingan inner annular hollow metallic ring, and sand molded about said ring in a shape to conform to'the inner periphery of said molding, chamber;

In testimony whereof I allix my signature, in the presence of twow1t-nesses.

EDWIN c. wAsHBUnN.

'Witnesses J. B. L. Oman, HELEN M. SEAMANS.

a molding chamber and a heat'im" 

